Realization
by eternitybeckons
Summary: Zoro and Sanji may have never gotten along,fighting with each other whenever they could.But now Sanji is beginning to feel something towards the swordsman.Is what Sanji feels really concern like he thinks it is? or is it something more?
1. the beginning

Sanji leaned against the railing of the Thousand Sunny, staring at the calm sea as he exhaled another breath of smoke. _The sea is practically still! Its been like this for weeks already, I'm surprised we are even able to move at the slow pace we are now. When are we finally going to get some wind?_ Sanji thought to himself, ignoring Luffy's whining about being bored. After being out at sea for weeks without wind Sanji almost joined his captain in trying to convince Franky to use the Coup de Burst to get them closer to the next island.

Sanji was pulled from his thought when hi heard a loud bang above him. He looked up to see Zoro leaving the Crows nest _that bang must have been him putting down his weights. That shitty swordsman, what does he think hes doing sulking up there. He barely eats! After the incident with Kuma, I know he wants to get stronger but hes going about it the wrong way! Hes going to kill himself! _Before he could continue his silent rant, Zoro yelled some news that made everyone jump for joy. "Oi!" he called down from his room " theres an island up ahead."

"FINALLY!" Luffy yelled, jumping up and down. "What does it look like?!?!" he asked the swordsman excitedly, wondering if this could mark the beginning of another adventure.

"Theres a large city right next to the harbor." Zoro yelled down to his excited captain.

"Luffy I need to talk to you for a minute." Mani said to her captain with an innocent smile on her face. Luffy only sweat dropped and tried to shrink into his special seat._ Nami's innocent smile means I'm in trouble_. Luffy thought with dread. Before he could run Nami had grabbed the back of his shirt and was dragging him into the lounge. " Listen up Luffy, we need to set some rules for when you go on land." Nami said with a smirk to the scowling Luffy as she closed the door behind her, muffling the rest of their "talk". A few minutes later, a loud thunk was head from beyond the door. Nami came out followed by Luffy who had a rather large bump on his head. "Alright everyone come here! I need to assign jobs to do when we land!" the navigator yelled waiting for all of her nakama to gather on the deck.

"We don't know whither there is a marine base on this island so we must be careful. Franky, you will guard the ship. Usopp, you and Chopper will stay together and go and buy what ever supplies you want. Also, pick up whatever Franky needs." she said to the three who were to her left.

"YOSH!" they yelled in response, happy that they finally arrived at an island.

"Luffy. You will stay with Brook AND NOT CAUSE A SCENE understand?" she asked, glaring at her captain. " Brook, make sure he doesn't get into trouble. Zoro you will go with Sanji to get any food supplies we might be lacking."

"W-WHAT?!?!" Zoro and Sanji both yelled in dismay. "Why do I have to get stuck with this shitty swordsman? I want to accompany you girls!" Sanji asked, glaring at the swordsman.

"Same here Love-cook. I'm tired as it is! I don't want to have to put up with you!" Zoro said returning the glare, just managing to unsheathe Sandai Kitetsu before a fury so kicks came at him. Not allowing a singe one to actually hit him, be began to attach the cook by trying to slice his leg.

The battle went on for about a minute before Nami got annoyed and walked over to the fight. She punched the two idiots in the head, causing them to fall to the floor. "YOU WILL DO AS I SAY!" she screamed at them.

"HAI NAMI-SWAN!" Sanji said with hearts in his eyes. Zoro merely sat silently, clutching his head in pain.

Nami merely sighed. "As I was saying earlier, While all of you are doing what ever it is you are going to be doing, Robin and I will be shopping! So none of you had better do anything stupid and cause our fun to end!" She said in a threatening voice, sending a glare to ever crew member. Everyone nodded quickly, knowing better than to argue.

When they finally get to the island, they choose to dock around an outcrop, not wanting to draw any unnecessary attention to themselves. "Lets go!" Luffy yells as he punches his fists into the air, running ahead of everyone as they made their way to the town. As they walked, the crew notices that the town is bigger than they thought. Many of the buildings reach high into the sky, while others are short but very long, some even taking up a whole street by themselves. "SUGOI! This place looks so cool!!" Luffy said with a huge grin on his face.

When they entered the city, everyone split up into the groups they were assigned to and went to explore the city. Zoro and Sanji, after unsuccessfully asking once again to be paired with someone else, reluctantly set out to find the nearest food store and finish with their shopping so they could get the hell away from each other.

"Oi shitty swordsman, where the hell are you going?" Sanji said when Zoro turned down a side street.

"Where the hell do you think I'm going? To find the food store." Zoro said as though it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"Your going the wrong way idiot." Sanji said amused at Zoro's confused expression. "the stores right over there," he said pointing over his shoulder, "how the hell did you go the wrong way when it was right in front of you?"

"Shut up!" Zoro snapped at the cook as he walked past him, this time headed in the right direction. "lets just go and get this over with. I don't see why I had so come with you to get food." he stopped suddenly before smirking over his shoulder at Sanji, "Unless your to weak to carry them."

Sanji's eyes darkened. "what was that marimo?"

"You heard me love-cook. I said that the only reason I'm here is because your to weak to do anything by yourself." Zoro said calmly, hands on his swords. Sanji, now completely pissed off, raced his leg into his fighting stance and prepared to leap forward. Zoro tensed,waiting for the kick.

Then, Sanji put his foot down and sighed. Looking up at the confused swordsman he simply said "If we fight Nami-Swan will get mad at me." He calmly walked past Zoro and entered the food store. _And if we fight, you'll only open up _those_ wounds_ he thought to himself. Zoro sheathed his katanas and followed the cook.

After buying everything they would need for another two months at sea (they always stock up because they never know how long it will take to get to the next island), the duo headed back to the Sunny.

"Man that was a pain." Zoro said with a yawn after he had helped put away all their groceries. " I'm going to take a nap." He climbed up to the crows nest then disappeared inside. Sanji on the other hand was already planning what he was going to make for dinner, and Franky was in his room planning out new inventions while waiting for Usopp and Chopper to return with his supplies.

Meanwhile somewhere in town, Luffy and Brook were having a wonderful time. "This place is so cool!" Luffy said for the hundredth time, looking at all the things that were on display in the windows.

"Yohohoho! This is the first time I've been to an island in over fifty years! I'm so happy I could cry! ...Except I don't have eyes to cry with! SKULL JOKE!" Brook laughed as he happily followed Luffy.

"Brook look at all these cool things! I wish I could get some!" Luffy said as he dragged his nakama from store to store. Luffy stopped suddenly when he heard a scream coming from around the corner. "Luffy-San what was that? Brook asked worried that something bad was happening.

"Lets go check it out" Luffy said as he quickly ran around the corner, Brook following close behind.

As they approached their destination, they realized that they were in the town square. In front of them was a group of angry pirates, cornering a scared group of girls against a fountain. All around them the townspeople were watching, worried about what was going to happen.

"You dare to reject us? We, the Blood Pirates who are feared throughout the Grand Line? The second you said no you sealed you fate!" the man laughed. "We're feeling generous at the moment, so we'll give you two options; come and have some fun with us, or loose your lives right here and now." One of the pirates, most likely the captain, said with an evil grin, his sword pointed at the through of one of the girls. "So what will it be?" the man asked as his nakama began to laugh even louder.

"P-Please don't hurt us, W-We didn't mean to insult you. J-Just let us go!" The girl with the sword at her throat managed to sob through her tears. The man only snickered.

"Mm,Thats not very nice. "Luffy said, completely oblivious to the threat the pirate was making. "You shouldn't ask someone to hang out with you while showing them your sword." Everyone in the crowd sweat dropped at the comment.

The pirate slowly raised his headed, turning it to glare at Luffy. "Who the hell are you?" he asked, obviously annoyed at the fact that someone had dared to interrupt him.

"Me?" His finger pointing to himself, " I'm Luffy!" he said with a grin.

"I DON'T CARE WHO YOU ARE! WHY ARE YOU INTERUPTING ME?!?" he man yelled, now completely pissed off.

"If you didn't care then you shouldn't have asked." Luffy mumbled, pouting because he got yelled at.

"L-Luffy-San, I don't think we should anger these guys, they look strong and we don't want to start a fight." Brook said, trying to convince his captain to drop the matter and walk away.

"What do you mean Brook? It doesn't matter how strong they look, I'll kick their asses." Luffy said while giving the skeleton an reassuring smile.

"Thats not what I meant Luf-" Brook was interrupted as the pirate, who had heard their whole conversation, turned to them and yelled.

"WHOS ASS ARE YOU GOING TO KICK PUNK?!?!? I'M JAMES AKUMA, CAPTAIN OF THE BLOOD PIRATES! I HAVE ABOUNTY OF 20,000 BELI! A SHRIMP LIKE YOU THINKS THEY CAN DEFEAT ME?!?!?" The captain yelled, pointing his sword at the duo, giving them each a death glare.

"Yea." Luffy said simply, nodding his head to answer the question.

"KILL THEM!" James yelled as his nakama charged forward. All around them the townspeople screamed, scared that the boy with the straw hat was about to die.

Luffy smirked. " You asked for it!Gomu Gomu no MUCHI!" Luffy yelled as his foot shot across the square, knocking out all of the oncoming pirates.

The captain fell backwards to the ground, dropping his sword "N-No way! W-Who are you?" He said in a scared voice.

"I told you. I'm Luffy" He said with a smile.

Suddenly the building next to them began to shake and pieces of its walls began to come off. "Wow! Whats happening to that building?" Luffy asked, fascinated with the crumbling building.

"Luffy-San, You did that...you kicked the supports of that building while you were attacking." Brook said, already accustomed to his captains idiocy. He slowly began to back up, nervous that the building was going to fall on them.

The building began to shake back and forth as though deciding where to fall. The townspeople began to run away in fear from the building, warning whoever they saw. "I thought we had promised Nami-San we wouldn't get into trouble." Brook said while looking at his captain, unsure of what to do next.

The boy paled. "RUN! If she doesn't know we caused it then we can't get in trouble!" Luffy yelled quickly as he dashed away from the square.

A second later the sound of the building falling to pieces was heard throughout the town.


	2. Worried

Hey guys sorry for the wait. My computer crashed and/or froze more times than i can count. Any way here is chapter 2!

* * *

Disclaimer: I do not own One Piece. It is property of Eiichiro Oda.

* * *

"I told them to stay out of trouble and what do they do?!? **They blow up a friggin' building!!**" Nami screamed as she stormed through the crowd of civilians trying to get away from the collapsed building.

"Navigator-San it might not have been them." Robin said with a slight smile on her face, trying to calm the enraged red head. She found that her crew always did the most amusing and unexpected things.

Nami gave the older woman a sarcastic look. "Who the hell else could cause a building to collapse without any cannons??" She said, pointing out that at no time since they had been in town had there been a sign of an attack.

Robin sighed, not wanting to argue. Thus the two girls proceeded to run through the crowd toward the Sunny, both lost in their own thoughts.

After the explosion, Luffy and Brook had made a mad dash to the Sunny, hoping to get there before Nami so they could escape punishment by hiding somewhere in the ship.

Once they finally arrived and hopped on deck, slowly and as quietly as they could, they tried to make it to the door that lead to the deck below. Unfortunately for them, Chopper and Usopp had already returned from their shopping. As soon as they got on deck, Chopper came running out of the lounge to make sure they were alright. "LUFFY!BROOK!AREYOU GUYS ALL RIGHT? THERE WAS AN EXPLOSION AND I WAS SCARED ONE OF YOU HAD BEEN HURT!" Chopper yelled franticly as he began to examine his Nakama.

"Chopper-San" Brook said calmly "we are fine, we didn't get hit by the building"

"THATS BECAUSE YOU CAUSED IT!" a furious voice was heard from the side of the ship. All heads turned to look as a pissed off Nami and a clam Robin, as the two climbed over the side of the railing. "Nami-Swan is so adorable when she's angry!" Sanji cooed from the door of the kitchen as Nami began to stomp her way across the deck to where her captain was sitting.

"Luffy, what exactly did I tell you this morning when we arrived at this island?" Nami asked, trying to keep her voice calm.

Luffy kept fidgeting in his seat, unable look Nami in the eye "I don't remember" he said, barely loud enough for his Nakama to hear.

"YOU DO REMEMBER!" Nami screeched as she punched Luffy, causing his head to hit the floor in a not-so-pleasant fashion. "WHY THE HELL DO YOU NEVER LISTEN TO ME!?!?!?!"

After ruthlessly beating her captain, she moved on to scream and beat Brook for his 'inability to look after a single boy. After finally venting all of her anger, Nami signed contently. "Well I don't think it would be a good idea to stay here. They're bound to see our ship, and think we are the cause of the commotion."

Chopped had decided to point out that they WERE the cause of the commotion, only to receive his own bump from the red-head. Nami continued, "I think we should head to the next island; I asked in town and it seems it only takes two hours for the log pose to set. We've been here for more than two hours, so we're all set. Everyone, Prepare for departure! Sanji, you and Zoro unfurl the sails, Franky you take the helm, and everyone else, do what you normally do; any questions?"

Everyone set out to do their designated jobs; Nami may have taken out most of her anger on Luffy and Brook, but everyone knew that it didn't take much for her to go crazy again when she was in that kind of mood.

"Oi, Marimo-head where the hell are you?" Sanji called, suddenly realizing that Zoro was nowhere to be seen.

"Sanji-Kun, what's wrong?" Nami asked, looking up to the crows' nest where the cook was standing.

"The shitty swordsman isn't up here." Sanji answered.

"Huh? Then where is he?" Nami asked. "Hey everyone, do you see Zoro?" Everyone stopped what they were doing to give Nami a questioning glance. "He isn't up in the crows' nest" she explained.

Robin put down the book she was reading, and brought her hands to her to her chest. "Veinte Fleur!" After a moment of searching, Robin dropped her arms to her side "Swordsman-San is not on the ship." she informed her Nakama.

"What?!" they all said in unison. "What does he think he's doing at a time like this?" Nami yelled, angry for the second time that day.

"Oh yea! Swordsman-Bro said he wanted to go for a walk a little while before the explosion. I didn't think anything of it. He should be back by now though." Franky said pondering why Zoro was so late.

"AND YOU DIDN"T THINK TO TELL US SOONER?!?" Nami yelled at the cyborg. "Ugh! He probably got lost!" she said as she smacked her forehead with her palm.

"That Shitty Marimo what the hell is wrong with him," Sanji said through clenched teeth.

As most of the crew stood still, (mentally cursing Zoro for his own stupidity) a marine ship rounded the bend of the Harbor, and began a bombardment on the Sunny. "G-Guys! What do we do?!?!" Usopp yelled as the cannon balls began to come increasingly close to the ship.

"We can't leave yet!" Luffy yelled from his seat atop the Lion's Mane. "Zoro isn't back yet!"

"That's right we can fight! I'm feeling Extra SUPER this week!" Franky exclaimed as he struck a pose. As the crew made up their minds to fight, three more marine ships appeared, following the first.

"Is there a marine base on this island?!?!" Nami asked as she saw the ships

"Actually I did see a base on the far side of town." Robin said with a look of slight concern on her face.

"WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL US?" Everyone, but Luffy and Sanji yelled.

"Robin-Chwan is so adorable when she forgets things!" Sanji sang as he did his noodle dance.

"ZORO! WHERE ARE YOU!?" Luffy yelled at the shore, oblivious to the conversation going on behind him. "One of us should go get him," he said.

"We don't have time!" Nami said, as the marine ships were almost upon them. "We'll have to come back for him!"

"No! I'm not leaving a Nakama behind!" Luffy said stubbornly with his arms crossed.

"But Luffy! We have to g-" Usopp started to say before Sanji cut him off." You guys go on ahead. I'll find him and bring him back here. Meet us when the sun sets" the cook said, before jumping over the railing into the sea below.

The mugiwara crew just stood in silence with their mouths agape. _Did Sanji just __**volunteer**__ to go get Zoro?!?_ They all thought in unison. This was unheard of! But before they could yell at him for being reckless, and jumping into the water, their attention was brought back to the marine ship that was practically next to them at this point. "Everyone! We're setting sail!" Nami yelled, bringing the crew back to reality.

"HAI!" Everyone yelled back.

Sanji walked onto the beach as the sunny began to sail away. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a cigarette. _A little soggy but it should light._ He thought as he struck a match against his shoe. _Now, to find that Shitty Swordsman…. _He inhaled deeply then began his trek through the forest.

_Where the hell is he? _Sanji thought, pushing yet another branch out of his face. He had been looking for about an hour now but the swordsman was nowhere in sight. The forest wasn't making his search easy. When he had arrived on the beach he noticed that the forest looked dense, but that had been an understatement. He couldn't walk a foot without a branch, with huge leaves, hitting him in the face or a root, trying to trip him. _Damn Marimo! He has it easy; he can cut through all these stupid trees! When I find him I'm going to kill him for making me go through this hell!_ The cook thought, forgetting that he chose to look for the swordsman of his own consent.

Zoro on the other hand was having just as hard a time navigating the forest as Sanji was. Not because of the trees, but because he was lost. _Dammit Franky! Why the hell did you move the ship?_ The swordsman thought angrily as he hacked away at the branches around him. Why he thought it was Franky's fault that he had ended up in the forest when he was trying to go into town no one will know.

Zoro spotted a clearing up ahead and decided to take a rest. The clearing was relatively large with a pond in the middle."Not a bad place to take a nap," Zoro said aloud with a yawn. He walked to a large tree that was shielding the sun. Getting comfortable in the shade, Zoro closed his eyes, and easily fell asleep.

Zoro was suddenly awoken when he felt a stabbing pain in his side. Jumping to his feet with his katana half drawn he looked around him. His surroundings had gotten darker; looking up he noticed that the sun was beginning to set. "Oi, Shitty Marimo. What. The. Hell. Where. You. Doing. Sleeping?" An incredibly pissed off voice asked from behind him. Zoro sheathed his katana and turned around. HE almost died of laughter. Standing before him, was a blond man covered in mud and scrapes.

"AHAHA! What the hell happened to you Ero-Cook?" Zoro managed to gasp between his laughter. He just managed to side step when a kick came, flying full force to where he had just been standing. The cook was pissed and he meant business.

"What happened to me? WHAT HAPPENED TO ME?" Sanji roared. "I was looking for you that's what happened!"

"Looking for me? Why?" Zoro asked after he caught his breath.

"Why? Because you decided to go off and do god knows what, while Marines attacked us!"The cook yelled, unable to control his rage. "Then I had the decency to bring you back but instead get lost, tripped, and mauled by I don't know how many animals, only to find you SLEEPING PEACEFULLY IN A CLEARING!"

"The Marines attacked?" Zoro asked his muscles tense." Why didn't you say that sooner?"

"I'm the one asking questions; why the hell did you leave, you shitty Marimo!" Sanji screamed, becoming increasingly frustrated, when he realized he had dropped his cigarettes somewhere in the Forest.

"What was that Ero-Cook?" the swordsman growled, drawing his katana.

"You heard me Marimo," Sanji said with a grimace, as he raised his leg into his fighting stance.

Time seemed to slow down. Zoro tensed, fully prepared to block the kick that he knew was coming. Sanji leaned forward, getting ready to jump forward and launch a fury of kicks. But what happened next caught Zoro by surprise; for the second time that day Sanji just sighed and lowered his leg.

"Let's go Marimo; everyone's waiting for us at the shore."Sanji said as he turned around and motioned for the swordsman to follow. Zoro just stood shocked, still in his fighting stance.

Overcoming his surprise, Zoro jogged up to the cook, and grabbed him by the shoulder before he left the clearing. "Oi Ero-Cook you alright?"

Sanji looked back over his shoulder. "I'm fine Marimo, now let's go back to the Sunny," he tried to walk forward but Zoro hadn't loosened his grip. "Let go."

"No. Not until you tell the truth," Zoro said, knowing that the cook was lying.

"And what makes you think I'm lying about nothing being wrong?" Sanji asked through clenched teeth. _He's really annoying me now! If we don't start walking I won't be able to hold back._ Sanji thought, not wanting to fight the swordsman.\

"You didn't fight," Zoro said simply," You've been acting strange lately, always backing out of our fights."

"So? I've been tired." Sanji said, hiding behind a mask of indifference.

"For weeks? You never backed out a fight before. Ever since the fight at Thriller Bark you've been, acting differently, not fighting. Whats wro-" Zoro stopped talking. He narrowed his eyes, realizing the truth behind the cook's actions. He tightened his grip on Sanji's shoulder, causing the man to wince. "Cook what the hell do you think you're doing?" The Swordsman growled a look of hatred in his eyes.

Sanji raised his hand and pried Zoro's hands of his shoulder. Without saying a word, he started walking into the forest. He was forced to stop when a blade hovered inches from his throat. He looked up into the enraged eyes of his Nakama.

He looked away, unable to meet Zoro's eyes for more than a few seconds. That quick glance told him all he needed to know. Zoro was mad. No, he was _furious._

"You were looking down on me weren't you?" the swordsman asked with a menacing air around him. "You think this wound make me weak"

"No. That's not what I-"Sanji began to say

"THEN WHAT?" Zoro's voice echoed throughout the forest.

"I WAS WORRIED ABOUT YOU!" Sanji yelled, not looking at the swordsman.

Zoro stood there, shocked and unsure about what to do next. He had thought that the cook had pitied him or that he wasn't worth his time, because the wound had weakened him. He never would have guessed that the man had been _worried_ about him. Hell he didn't even think the blond was capable of worrying over someone who didn't have boobs.

Slowly, he lowered his katana. The two stood in an awkward silence that seemed to go on forever. Eventually, Sanji cleared his throat when he noticed how dark it had become. "we- we should get going," he said quietly. Zoro nodded swiftly and fell into step behind the cook as they silently made their way through the forest.


	3. Possessed

Well would you look at that, I updated! WOOHOO! I must apologize for how long it took me to write this; I've just been extremely busy and have had little to no time to write...and when I did I had a mager Writer's block =/ But I hope you enjoy. ^-^ Oh and by the way, you should all go thank HappyMe-O, its thanks to her corrections that this got up.

Ps: just so you don't get confused, time jumps are marked by the lines...i though i'd mention that now because there are a few of them...

* * *

Disclaimer: I do not own One Piece. I'm just not that cool.

* * *

Zoro sat around in a daze. He and the cook had walked through the forest in silence, neither knowing what to say. When they had gotten back to shore they were confronted by an enraged Nami. Sanji got off with a single hard punch to the head, but Zoro got a full beating.

"WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU?!" Nami screamed the second she saw the swordsman. "YOU JUST HAD TO GO FOR A STROLL IN THE FOREST WHILE WE HAD TO FIGHT OFF THE MARINES!"

Zoro cringed and slowed his pace, lagging behind Sanji. There wasn't much that scared him, but an enraged Nami with loathing literally rolling off of her in waves was something that would scare anyone. And the worst of it was that all that anger was directed solely on him, instead of the usual two or three crew mates.

Taking a deep breath, he began his assent up the side of the ship. The second he stepped on board the Sunny he was sent flying off again, landing hard on the beach below. "_THUNDERBOLT TEMPO_!" The navigator yelled, showing that she was truly serious. Zoro managed to dodge the shock by mere inches.

Zoro bit back an insult. He knew that the woman had every right to be pissed, but this was a bit much.

"Oi Zoro! Be careful!" Usopp yelled from the railing, a concerned look on his face. "Nami's been in a really bad mood since this morning!"

"Why didn't you say that earlier?" he roared, dodging yet another thunderbolt. After a few more tries at trying to barbecue the swordsman, Nami ceased her attack. Zoro, thinking the girl had vented all of her anger, once again climbed up to the deck of the Sunny…, only to walk straight into another attack; this time he was beaten by Nami's fists.

Finally, being quite content with her handiwork and all of her hatred released; Nami walked away into the lounge to relax. And after a quick "welcome back" from the rest of the crew, Zoro found himself sitting up in the crow's nest. The pain was nothing he wasn't used to, and it had dulled quickly enough; but the shock of his earlier conversation with Sanji still confused him.

_He was worried? _He thought for the hundredth time, still unable to grasp the meaning of those words.

"Oi Zoro, what's wrong?" a voice said suddenly causing the swordsman to nearly jump out of his skin.

"Luffy what are you doing?" he asked, settling his nerves.

"Come play with me~" the rubber man whined, poking his first mate in his chest. Zoro just raise an eyebrow at his captain. "No one will play with me!" he explained, once again poking the swordsman in the chest, time to get him to agree.

"Go play with Chopper or Usopp," Zoro said. He wasn't in the mood to entertain his energetic captain.

"I can't!" Luffy said in a pouting voice. "Usopp's helping Franky with something that I'm not allowed touching, and Chopper is asleep."

"Then go bother the Aho-cook. I'm going to sleep," Zoro said with a yawn.

"Zoro~!" Luffy said again, determined to get someone to play with. A tick mark began to appear on Zoro's forehead. He let out a short growl, letting Luffy know he REALLY didn't want to be disturbed.

"Luffy come down and I'll make you a snack," a voice was heard from below.

"MUSHI!" Luffy yelled and a second later he was out of the small room and on the deck next to Sanji. Zoro walked to the door of his room and looked down at the Cook. "What the hell are you doing dartboard brow?" he growled.

Sanji looked up and glared at the swordsman with his one visible eye. "What, am I not allowed to feet my captain Shitty swordsman?" he growled back.

Zoro narrowed his eyes but silently turned around and closed the door of the crow's nest.

"Tch, what's with him?" Sanji wondered aloud even though he had a pretty good idea what was bothering his Nakama.

"Sanji! Mushi!" Luffy yelled, looking forward to getting a snack without having to ask. "I want meat!"

"You'll get what I give you," Sanji said as he kicked the rubber boy for his impatient. He turned and headed for the kitchen, "let's go."

Nami watched the scene that had just unfolded in front of her with a smirk as she sat in her chair sunbathing. W_ell, well, well. It looks like things are going to get quite interesting around here. _She thought as she turned to the woman next to her. Robin had a slight smile on her face._ It seems like she's noticed it too. _Nami thought again as the two women exchanged amused looks.

* * *

"Marine's are headed this way!" Zoro called in an Indifferent voice to his Nakama on the deck below. It had been two weeks since Sanji's and his conversation in the forest and Zoro had managed to push all thought of it out of his mind; _we're Nakama. If he had been hurt I would have worried about him too._ Zoro had managed to convince himself.

"How many ships?" Nami called, not bothering to look up from her book.

"Two."

"Yosh! Let's get them!" Luffy yelled as he pumped his fists in the air. He had been getting bored and this was a great way to keep himself entertained. He grabbed the mast and began to back up, stretching his arms so he could fly to the enemy ship.

"Oi, Luffy! Shouldn't we wait for them to get closer?" Usopp said nervously.

"Nope," the captain said while smiling. Before anyone could object, Luffy was flying through the air towards the approaching ships.

"We'd better go help him," Zoro said with a sigh. Sanji nodded in agreement. They both jumped into the water and began to swim after their reckless captain. "You guys go help Luffy while I, the great Captain Usopp, stay here and guard the ship!" Usopp yelled at the two men who were almost at the enemy ships.

Climbing onto a marine ship while soaking wet is a hard thing to do; yet Sanji and Zoro had mastered the art since Luffy often flew to enemy ships without any regard to how his Nakama would get there. When they climbed over the railing, the marines were more than shocked to see the two pissed of pirates. With little effort Zoro and Sanji knocked down a dozen men each, searching the ship for their captain. "Oi Sanji! Zoro! There you guys are! What took you so long?" Luffy shouted with a carefree smile as he plowed though the marines that where trying to encircle him.

"WE HAD TO SWIM THATS WHY!" the guys shouted in unison, clearly pissed as water dripped off of them.

A young marine, thinking Sanji to be distracted, quietly ran up behind him and raised his sword to strike. "_Collier!_" Sanji said as his leg shot out at the unexpected marine, knocking him unconscious as he went flying into a wall. "Let's take care of these bastards before anything," Sanji said to his Nakama.

Without a moment's hesitation all three mugiwara kaizoku moved into their fighting stances and attacked.

"_Gomu Gomu no Gatling gun!_"

"_Oni Giri!_"

_"Quasi!_"

It only took a few minutes for all the marines on this ship to be taken down; and the pirates hadn't even broken a sweat. "these guys are weak, isn't there anyone stronger?" Zoro asked rhetorically, wanting to actually find someone who would give him a challenge.

"Stop complaining, there's still another ship," Sanji said with a turn of his head, indicating the ship that was coming up alongside them. "Let's get going," he yelled over his shoulder to his Nakama as he jumped to the next deck.

"Tch, who put you in charge?" Zoro grumbled as he followed Sanji, Luffy not far behind.

"Halt pirates!" a young man's voice was heard as they landed. "Surrender now!"

Luffy just smiled at the marine. "No."

With this the marines all charged the three pirates, thinking that because of their numbers they could over power them. "_Gomu Gomu no Muchi!_" Luffy yelled, successfully knocking all of the marines off their feet.

Sanji and Zoro, knowing their captain could handle the guys here, went to go take care of the remaining marines scattered throughout the ship. After scowering the deck, knocking out anyone they came across, they headed below deck.

A large group of marines were waiting for them in the corridor beyond the stairs, armed with guns and sabers. When the two pirates descended the stairs, they opened fire. Sanji and Zoro managed to jump back just in time to avoid injury. "Shitty marines, they almost hit us," Sanji grumbled as he and Zoro charged forward. Sanji increased his speed as he knocked down enemies left and right. But no matter how many marines he beat, three would take their place. _Why the hell is there so many?_ He thought as he looked around _where the hell did that Shitty Marimo go!?_

Zoro being his typical self, somehow managed to go down a side hallway and lose sight of the fight. _What the hell! Why did the Ero-cook and those marines walk away in the middle of a fight?!_ He thought as he ran down yet another hallway. Looking around he noticed that he hadn't run into any enemies since he got below deck. _All these guys must have gone above deck to deal with Luffy._

Coming to a dead end, Zoro turned and attempted to retrace his steps. After taking multiple wrong turns and not really paying attention to where he was going, Zoro somehow managed to find his way back to the steps where Sanji was still fighting a large number of marines._ There's the same amount as when we first came down! What has he been doing?_ Zoro thought as he charged forward with Sushi "_Tatsu Maki__!_" he yelled as he neared the battle. Half of the marines were blown away, and the fact that they were indoors in a confined halfway only increased the power of the attach. He sheathed his katana when none of the marines got back up nor any more appeared.

"Oi shitty swordsman, where the hell did you go?" Sanji asked with mallows in his voice.

Zoro just shrugged "It's not my fault you and those marines got lost in the middle of a fight," he said as he drew Wadou, just barely able to block the kick that was aimed for his head.

"Zoro, Sanji! Nami says to hurry up or we'll leave without you," Luffy called down the steps, interrupting the fight.

"HAI NAMI-SWAN!" Sanji yelled, a heart in his one visible eye, and quickly flew up the stairs. Zoro merely walked after him back to the Sunny.

* * *

"Nami~ are we there yet?!" Luffy complained as he was lying in the grass of the Thousand Sunny. It had been about three hours since that run in with the marines, and almost immediately after they had sailed into multiple storms as well as a cyclone. Everyone was tired and wanted to be on land once again.

"I told you Luffy, we'll be there within the next few hours," Nami said as she sat in the lounge looking over the map of neighboring islands. She had bought in the last town as she waited for Sanji to finish preparing snacks for her and Robin.

"But I want an adventure!" the rubber boy complained.

"Oi Luffy, why don't we play a game?" Usopp offered as her came up onto the deck.

Luffy jumped up immediately. "What kind of game?!" he asked excitedly.

Usopp though for a moment about a game that would keep Luffy entertained and not wreck the ship in the process. "How about we play I spy?"

"I spy?" Luffy asked with a tilt of his head.

"Yea, it's a game where one person thinks of an object in sight, then describes it in one word and the others have to try to figure out what the object is," Usopp explained and gave Luffy some examples.

"Yea let's play!" Luffy said, already looking around for an object. Then he stopped and looked at Usopp with a smile on his face. "Let's go get Chopper to play too!"

When they went to get the little reindeer, he was more than happy to play with them. The game went on for a long time, each player choosing ridiculous objects that were almost impossible to guess.

Time flew by as they played their game, and before they knew it the island was insight. "There it is!" Luffy yelled excitedly "Sugoi! It's huge!"

"I don't see a city, but an island this big can't be uninhabited," Nami said as she stood next to Luffy, observing the island ahead of them. "Franky, lets dock up that river," she called over her shoulder.

"All right girlie, I'm feeling extra SUPA this week," the cyborg yelled as he took the helm.

Franky easily maneuvered the Sunny so it came up to a rocky outcrop alongside the mouth of the river. "Yo, girlie, I think I see a town up there," Franky called to Nami as he pointed up the river. Nami looked up from her seat on the deck. Sure enough just before the river bended around a grove of trees, a few houses were resting on the bank.

"The rest of the town must be around that bend." she said

"Should I steer up there?" Franky asked

"No, we don't know how friendly they are. We'll dock here and walk up," she replied as she called her Nakama together. "Everyone, there's a town up there," she said once everyone was together, pointing up the mouth of the river. "All of us will go check it out."

Luffy jumped up in excitement, yelling about an adventure while Usopp tried to argue about having some disease that prevented him from going with them. Nami looked around her Nakama, checking to make sure they were all listening. Her eyes came to rest on Zoro and a smirk slowly formed on her lips. "Except for you. You'll stay and guard the ship."

Zoro just grunted, not really caring about his supposed punishment for getting lost and causing trouble on the last, he'd rather stay on the ship and sleep than walk through a small river side to town. Nami, seeing that he didn't care, pouted and began to think of another way to punish the swordsman as she turned back to the rest of her Nakama.

"All right everyone, let's get going," she called, jumping over the deck onto the beach.

The walk along the river bank was fast and easy. But when they neared the town, they noticed that there wasn't a single person. "This place is completely deserted," Nami said as she glanced down a side street.

"Sugoi! Maybe it's a ghost town!" Luffy said as he jumped around excitedly.

"G-Ghost town?!" Usopp and Chopper yelled in unison, shaking in fear. "Oh no, I think I have must-get-out-of-the-ghost-town-immediately-itus." Usopp said in a shaky voice.

"Oh no! Someone call a doctor!" Chopper yelled, freaking out because he thought his friend was sick.

"He's just scared," Sanji told the reindeer.

"You're scared Usopp?" Chopper looked up at the long nosed teen.

"Of course not! I remember the time I took out a thousand ghosts with a paperclip, a piece of string, and a pebble," Usopp said as he stuck a pose, recounting his story to an eager looking Chopper.

"A thousand?!?! Really?!" Chopper yelled in amazement.

The rest of the crew just sighed at the duos usual antics. "huh? Where's Luffy-San?" Brook asked suddenly.

"What are you talking about Brook? He's right--"she turned around to look where their captain had been a few moments earlier. 'Where did he go?!?" she screamed when Luffy wasn't where he should have been.

"Rubber-bro ran that way," Franky said, pointing around the corner of a building.

"We'd better go get him before he destroys the town," Nami said with a sigh.

The mugiwara began to walk through the maze of streets, trying to find where Luffy had gone. After a while they heard his unmistakable laugh coming from a few blocks away. When they finally found him, Luffy was sitting in the center of the town square talking to a tall, pale girl.

"Guys, look! It's not a ghost town!" Luffy said when he noticed his Nakama, a hint of disappointment in his voice.

Usopp let out a sigh of relieve in seeing another human "Good so there are no ghosts."

"But seeing ghosts would be fun," Luffy said with a pout.

"Oh lovely maiden, your hair is as lovely as a starry night! Would you honor me with your name?" Sanji said with hearts in his eyes as he knelt before the girl.

"I-I'm Claira," she said timidly, unsure of what to do about Sanji's behavior.

"Stop scaring her!" Nami yelled at Sanji after punching him in the head. "Sorry about that, you can just ignore him," she told Clara.

"It's OK," she said in a quiet voice. "Did you come here looking for ghosts?" she asked Nami, referring to Usopp's and Luffy's earlier comments.

"Huh? No, we were just passing by the island and we thought we'd explore this town, but no one was here, so we just made the assumption it was deserted," Nami explained. "By the way, why is there no one here?"

"It's almost twilight; everyone is hiding because they don't want the ghosts to possess them," Claira said calmly.

"G-GHOSTS?!?!" Usopp and Chopper yelled in unison.

* * *

"Who's there?" Zoro asked. He had been sleeping peacefully, thankful of his Nakama absence, when he felt someone come aboard. Looking around, he didn't see anything out of the ordinary.

"Hiya!" a voice said from directly above him, causing Zoro to jump.

"What the hell?!" Zoro said in shock. Directly above him a man of about thirty was floating. _How the hell is he floating?!_

"I'm a ghost." the man said with a sfmile, answering Zoro's unvoiced question. "You're a pirate right?" he asked eagerly.

"Yea…," Zoro said, unsure of how to act around a ghost. After a moment of thought he just shrugged and decided to go back to sleep.

"It's been quite a while since any travelers let alone pirates came to this island," the ghost said, ignoring the fact that Zoro was trying to sleep. "I've gotten bored of the villagers, possessing a pirate should be fun."

"Wait what?!" Zoro jumped to his feet after hearing the ghost's words. The last thing he saw before everything turned black was the ghost's evil smirk.

* * *

"There are ghosts here?" Nami asked in a shocked voice. "Are they dangerous?"

"SUGOI! Really?!?" Luffy asked as he jumped up and down.

Claira nodded. "This island is home to about a dozen ghosts. They aren't necessarily dangerous; they enjoy possessing people. It's like a game for them. They possess people and have them act as they would have when they were alive. I've never heard of them actually hurting their hosts nor the people around them."

"I've never heard of an island with actually ghost," Robin said, mostly to herself than anyone else. "Claira-San, do you know how they became ghosts or how it's possible for them to exist?" Robin asked, slightly eager to learn about these ghosts.

"I'm sorry, I have no idea. They've been here as long as I can remember, and I've never really questioned how it was possible." she told the older woman.

"I see."

The sound of a clock tower bell sounded loudly from the building a few feet away."Oh no!" Claira exclaimed in fear. "It's almost dark. Quickly, you must all return to your ship," she told them before she ran off.

"AH!!!THE GHOSTS ARE GOING TO GET US!" Chopper and Usopp screamed in unison as they began to run around each other in circles.

"CALM DOWN!" Nami yelled as she hit her two panicking Nakama on the head. "Let's just get back to the ship."

"Hai, Nami-Swan!" Sanji yelled as he danced after the orange haired navigator.

"Long nose-Bro, Reindeer-Bro, you guys alright?" Franky asked the two boys who were still on the ground.

"F-Franky, Y-y-you'll protect us from the ghosts right?" Chopper said as tears ran down his cheeks. Franky could only laugh at the antics of his younger Nakama. "Yea I'll protect you."

"So will I! Yohooh! I've fought zombies, ghosts shouldn't be too hard!" Brook said reassuringly as the four boys ran to catch up with the rest of the group.

The walk back to the Sunny was uneventful, much to Luffy's dismay and Usopp's and Chopper's happiness. "Cheer up Captain-san, I'm sure you'll see a ghost someday," Robin said as she saw her captain slumped against the mast once they returned from their exploration. "Cook-san is making dinner, it should be almost done," she said when the rubber man's mood didn't improve. At the thought of food Luffy instantly got to his feet and excitedly ran to the kitchen yelling for food.

Robin had been right, within the next few minutes Sanji yelled out the kitchen door that dinner was ready, only to have to fend off a starved Luffy so that the ladies could enter first. Dinner aboard the Sunny was as hectic as ever; all the boys having to fight Luffy for even the tiniest bit of food. Sanji made sure that the ladies had everything they wanted without having to worry about the black hole that was their captain. All the while, Brook could be heard playing his violin and Yohohoing at his Nakama.

Dinner ended almost as quickly as it had begun. Each individual crewmate went off to do what they wanted; Usopp and Franky went below deck talking about some invention or another. Nami and Robin went into the lounge to enjoy some after dinner drinks. Chopper went to his room to finish preparing medicine in case of an emergency, and Zoro went back to training. Brook disappeared but his music could still be heard echoing throughout the Sunny. Luffy was staring out at sea atop the Lions head, and Sanji was left to clean up.

Not that he minded, actually, Sanji enjoyed cleaning the dishes; it gave him some peace and quiet and to think without any interruptions. _Damn they made a mess. _Sanji thought to himself with a sigh as he observed the disaster area that has the dining room.

Sanji glanced at the cleaning, it took longer than he expected, it was almost twelve thirty and he still had some dishes to finish. _Everyone's__ got to be asleep by now. _He thought as he listened to see if any of his Nakama were still up. The only sound that reached his ears was the rhythmic thumping of waves against the ship and Zoro lifting his weights. A yawn escaped the cook's mouth as he headed for the sink, _I__ should hurry or else__ I'm__ going to be exhausted tomorrow._

Sanji only had a few more plates to go when he heard the door open. Looking over his shoulder he saw that it was Zoro who was coming in. "Oi, Marimo. If you're looking for more sake then don't hold your breath. You had enough at dinner and I'm not going to let you drink what we have left," he was expecting an argument but was surprised when the swordsman didn't reply. Turning around he found Zoro just standing there staring at him.

"Shitty Marimo, what up?"

Zoro chucked, causing Sanji to jump. "Such an interesting crew," Zoro said, his voice sounding odd to Sanji.

"What the hell are you talking about?"

An evil smirk appeared on Zoro's face as he leaned toward the cook. "Oi, wha--" Sanji was cut off as Zoro's lips collided with his own. _W-W-WHAT THE FUCK?!?!?! _Sanji screamed to himself. "Mnmm whmm humph humph whmm" Sanji tried to speak, but Zoro had wrapped his hand around the cooks head and ran his hand through the man's hair, preventing him from pulling away. Sanji didn't know what to do. He wasn't strong enough to pull away from the swordsman, nor could he kick him because of how close Zoro was. _WHAT DO I DO? WHAT DO I DO?!? _Sanji thought as he began to panic. He tried to struggle but Zoro just wouldn't let him go, finally he gave up and went limp in Zoro's arms. _Damn it! I'm Sorry Nami-Swan._

Zoro Moved his head back but still did not release the blonde. With a light chuckle he leaned in and softly whispered in the cooks ear "Good night Aho-Cook," he swiftly released Sanji, causing the surprised man to sink to the floor before walking back to the crow's nest like nothing had happened.

Sanji got up in a daze and quickly finished the dishes before he stumbled to his bed, all the while trying to convince himself that everything that had just happened was nothing more than a bad dream.

* * *

"SANJI~! MUSHI" Luffy yelled as soon he woke up.

"Hai Luffy." Sanji said unenthusiastically. He was dead tired; he hadn't been able to sleep at all. Slowly he dragged himself up the stairs into the blinding sunlight and made this way to the kitchen.

"Sanji-Kun could you get me a drink?" Nami asked when the cook walked past here.

"HAI!" he said with hearts in his eyes. He seems the same but something's off. Nami noted after Sanji had responded.

"Is something wrong cook-San?" Robin asked. Nami smirked; it seemed Robin had noticed too.

"How could anything be wrong when I am in the presence of you beautiful goddesses?" Sanji asked as he did his noodle dance. "I'm just…, a little tired" he added after a moment. It wouldn't do if his mellorines were worried about him.

"SANJI I'M HUNGRY!" Luffy yelled, pulling Sanji away from the girls. "ALL RIGHT!" The cook yelled back along with a kick that sent his captain across the deck. "I'll go make breakfast!"

"Make lots of meat!"

Sanji only sighed as he entered the kitchen and quickly made a meal that would please his Nakama. Just because he didn't feel well didn't mean he should neglect his duties as cook. "It's ready!" Sanji yelled out the door when he had finished setting the table. The whole crew rushed forward, eager to get something to eat.

"Wait, where's Zoro?" Usopp asked when everyone except the swordsman was sitting at the table.

"Probably still sleeping," Nami said indifferently.

"I'll go get him" Usopp said as he stood to leave. As he was leaving he looked at Sanji. "Oi Sanji, you alright? You're kind of pale."

At the mention of the marimo Sanji had frozen in fear. _He wouldn't say anything about what happened would he?_ Sanji thought nervously, afraid of what the ladies would think of him if they found out. He slowly became aware of his Nakama's concerned looks and remembered the question. "Y-yea, fine. Just a little tired," he said slowly.

"Are you sure? You're not sick are you?" Chopper asked in a panicky voice.

"No I'm fine, I think I just need to lay down" he apologized for making then worry then left to go rest in the men's quarters.

He just managed to put his head down when he heard Usopp scream. "Chopper! Hurry! Something's wrong with Zoro!"

Jumping to his feet, Sanji immerged from the bellow the deck to see his Nakama anxiously gathered around the swordsman. "Oi, Whats wrong with Marino?" he asked, but no one said anything.

"I-I don't know," Chopper shuddered. "It's like he's asleep, yet he won't wake up!"

"Is he in a coma?" Nami questioned

"Baka! If it was a coma I would have said so!" Chopper yelled as he grew panicked. "It's like he's awake, but not there." the reindeer tried to explain, only to receive confused looks. "I can't explain it!"

"Then how do we heal him?" Usopp asked, not liking the direction the conversation was going.

"I-I don't know!" Chopper managed to say before he broke into tears. The mugiwara all froze in place. It was rare for Chopper to not have even the slightest idea about how to heal someone. "I've never seen a disease like this...; the symptoms don't point to anything I've studied."

"Is it a ghost's disease?" Luffy said with a tilt of his head.

"Don't be an idiot!" Nami yelled as she hit her captain on the head. "This is serious!"

Chopper jumped to his feet. "Luffy that's it! Maybe it's a local disease!"

"Oi, oi, oi. Did Luffy just say something smart?" Usopp said in awe.

"Meany Usopp, I always says smart things." Luffy retorted.

"Long nose-Bro! Rubber-Bro! Stop arguing! Let's go into town and see if the girly from yesterday can help" Franky said as he interrupted the two arguing teens. "Let's go reindeer-Bro."

The four boys jumped over board and began to run towards the town, leaving the rest of the crew to make sure Zoro's condition didn't get any worse. As they arrived in town, Usopp was the first to notice that people were actually showing themselves, contrary to how they had behaved when the pirates had first arrived the day before. "Should we ask one of them?" Usopp asked, motioning to one of the many groups that were making their way from shop to shop.

"No, let's find Claira," Chopper said. "She knows us so she would most likely be more willing to help us than a stranger."

"I see her!" Luffy said as he ran forward into the crowd.

The others followed as Luffy made a path through the people. When they finally found the girl, she was standing in front of an old bookstore looking quite confused as Luffy tried to tell her to follow him without telling her why.

"Claira, we need your help. Our Nakama is sick and I don't know why," Chopper explained when Franky and Usopp had managed to quiet the babbling rubber boy. "I think it might be a local illness, could you come and see?"

Claira's expression went from confusion to understanding when she was finally able to grasp the situation. "Yes of course. Might I ask what the symptoms are? I don't know a lot about medicine but I do know of a few unique local diseases."

"he's very pale and seems to be in a coma-like state," Chopper said, relieved that the girl could help. "He responded to stimulus such as voice and touch but cannot seem to get control of his body." The look on Claira's face made the small reindeer stop in his diagnostic.

"Please, take me to him." The girl said a worried look on her face.

"This way Girly." Fanky said as he started to lead the group through the crowd and along the bank of the river towards the Sunny.

Once they arrived, the mugiwara kaizokudan stood in anxious silence as Claira looked over their sick Nakama."It's just as I thought," Claira said quietly, slowly standing from her position next to the swordsman. "He's possessed."

"...possessed?"Chopper asked after recovering from his momentary shock at the announcement.

"Like as in Ghosts?"Usopp asked nervously, afraid of the answer.

"Yes, it seems he's been possessed by one of the native ghosts. But you don't have to worry. He'll be fine by nightfall."

"How come?"Chopper asked interested at how the swordsman would be able to revert to normal in just a few hours when he looked like he'd never wake up.

"A possession only lasts for about twenty four hours," Claira explained, "Ghosts will usually enter a host body at twilight so they will have the whole night to play pranks and such on friends or family of the one they are possessing, for some reason they find the discomfort of the living very satisfying and funny. Anyways, the next day the host will become 'sick' because of the ghosts intolerance to the sun. When twilight comes again the ghosts will be forcible removed from the host's body. And by the looks of how he is in the 'sick' state, my guess would be that he encountered the ghost around the time you were all in town. Was there anyone else on the ship?" she asked.

"No, Zoro was watching the ship while we all went into town." Nami told her.

"Then that explains why no one noticed the ghost."

"So it's a mystery disease?" Luffy said with a crook of his head.

Nami face-palmed at her captain idiocy. "Yes Luffy." she muttered.

"Does that mean we should just wait until Swordsman-San wakes up?" Robin asked over the rim of her coffee cup.

"Yes, and truthfully that's all you can do."

"Alright. Franky, can you move Zoro into the sick bay?" Chopper asked, realizing that it would be better for the swordsman to be in a bed rather than on the deck. "Sure Reindeer-Bro." The Cyborg said as he slung the younger man over his shoulder and headed to Choppers room.

Now that the excitement was over, the crew bid farewell to Claira and went about their business. "SANJI! MUSHI!" Luffy yelled as his stomach growled, reminding their rest of the crew that their breakfast had been interrupted.

"I'll go make us some lunch." Sanji said, looking up to see that the sun was almost in the middle of the sky. Once he entered the kitchen, Sanji began to prepare a large lunch, thinking that everyone would be hungrier than usual thanks to the morning's event. While cooking he couldn't stop his mind from drifting to what had happened last night. When they had been told why Zoro looked so sick, relief had flooded over the entire crew, but Sanji had let out a sigh of relief for a different reason. It had not been Zoro that had kissed him, well technically it HAD been Zoro, but Zoro didn't do it of his own will. Yet while relief had poured into his mind, another emotion that Sanji couldn't place had accompanied it.

Sanji's self reflection can to an abrupt end when his rubbery captain came dashing through the kitchen doors whining like his life depended on it for food. "Calm down Shit head, it's almost done." he growled.

* * *

"What the hell?" Zoro wondered aloud as he woke up with a pounding head ache in the sick bay. _Why the hell am I in here? What time is it?_ He thought, trying to grasp what was going on. Looking outside he got his answer. The sky was getting dark, the last of its color slowly draining away.

"Oi! Whats going on?" he growled loudly as he heaved himself out of bead and onto the deck.

"Zoro! Your okay!" chopper's relieved voice startled the swordsman as the reindeer ran up and clung to his leg.

"Why the hell wouldn't I be okay?" he asked, not sure what was going on.

"You were possessed Swordsman-San. You've been out for the entire day." Robin's explained as she and Nami came out of the lounge.

"huh what the hell are you talking about?"

"Yesterday when you were SAPOSED to be watching the ship, it seems a ghost came and you, being the fool you are, got possessed." Nami said with a frown as she gazed at Zoro.

"Who the hell are you calling a fool sea witch?"

"Don't you dare call Nami-Swan a Sea witch!" Sanji growled as he jumped out of the kitchen to defend his mellorine.

"And what are you going to do about it?" Zoro said with a smirk; a little fight was just what he needed to fully wake up.

But instead of the lunging forward, Sanji flinched; something only Zoro caught. _What the hell is wrong with Ero-Cook?_

"Sanji, now that Zoro is ok let's have a party!" Luffy yelled as he came flying to where his Nakama were gathered.

Sanji sighed. "Yea, I thought you'd say that." he said as he headed back into the kitchen.

"YAY!" Chopper, Usopp, Luffy and Brook yelled in unison as they started to dance at the thought of all the food they'd soon be eating.

"Oi, Aho-cook, pass me a new towel," Zoro said as he looked down at the now soaked dish towel in his hands.

The party had been over for almost an hour now and once again it was just Zoro and Sanji cleaning up the mess their Nakama had made; and even though it was relatively early, everyone else had already headed to bed.

"Here Shitty-Swordsman," Sanji mumbled as he handed the man next to him a fresh towel as he continued to wash dishes. The only time the two of them would insult each other without breaking into a fight was when they had to wash the dishes together.

Zoro watched the other man out of the corner of his eye while he started to dry the plates and cups. _Damn cooks been acting weird all night._ Zoro thought as he went over Sanji's odd behavior over dinner. Whenever he had come close to the cook, weather it was to get more food or in an attempt to start a fight, the Chief would visibly flinch at his movement and quickly move away. Zoro had no idea what could be upsetting him so much.

"What the hell are you looking at Marimo?" Sanji said without shifting his gaze from the sink in front of him.

Zoro just grunted before asking the cook the question that had been nagging him all night. "Whats wrong with you? You've been acting as though you're scared of me ever since I woke up," Zoro didn't know wither to laugh or be worried at Sanji's reaction as the cook almost dropped the plate he had been cleaning; he looked like a deer caught in head lights.

"W-What the hell are you talking about? I have been acting completely normal," Sanji stuttered after regaining his composure.

"Sure, and I'm a saint," Zoro retorted, getting somewhat mad at the Cooks defensiveness.

"Don't mock me Marimo. Nothing's wrong," Sanji said with a growl.

"Just spit it out already!" Zoro yelled as slammed down the towel, surprising even himself at how angry he was getting.

"You really don't remember what you did yesterday, do you?" Sanji said his face and voice both expressionless.

* * *

A/N: I hope you like it. I'll try to write Chapter 4 as soon as I can. reviews would be greatly appriciated. Please, tell me how to improve, or it you want me to speed things up or slow them down. ^-^


End file.
